Pot tax revenue to go beyond regulating

Revenues from the 31/2 percent local sales tax on recreational marijuana, ballot Question 1B that passed in Tuesday’s election, will go to more than enforcement and regulation in Pueblo County.

Commissioner Sal Pace said Wednesday that the statewide campaign to legalize marijuana was sold on generating sales tax revenue that would first go to schools and then other resources.

In Pueblo, Pace said the local tax will first go to enforcement and regulation and then roads, bridges and public safety.

“The pro-marijuana lobby always said this would bring tax dollars into help local governments (and) 1B is no different,” Pace said.

“Let’s say that even if this generated $10 million a year, we’re not going to bring in 1,000 enforcement officers. It would be cockamamie.”

The ballot question read that about $400,000 tax revenues would be generated annually, going first to regulation, enforcement and administration of retail marijuana industry and then “other general purposes of the county.”